Question

Consider the following quote from the work of the social psychologist Dan Gilbert: “Stereotypic beliefs about women’s roles, for example, may enable one to see correctly that a woman in a dark room is threading a needle rather than tying a fishing lure, but they may also cause one to mistakenly assume that her goal is embroidery rather than cardiac surgery.” This quote illustrates the fact that _______.

Answer 1

Answer: This quote illustrates the fact that we often use stereotypes to draw conclusions about people.

Explanation: Gilbert is highlighting the fact that we often use stereotypes to fill in the blanks about people, sometimes correctly (a woman is threading a needle) and sometimes incorrectly (the woman is threading a needle to suture an incision made during surgery). Ultimately, stereotypes are assumptions we make to make the world seem more predictable, but those assumptions can often lead us astray.